


Dedicated To...

by MissHyperbole



Category: Barbie - All Media Types, MyScene (Video Game)
Genre: CD ROM game related, F/M, My Scene, almost a song fic, also all of them are in their twenties okay, but we love him anyway, river is a cheese ball
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-16
Updated: 2020-07-16
Packaged: 2021-03-04 19:49:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,173
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25301878
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MissHyperbole/pseuds/MissHyperbole
Summary: "The bass player dedicated a song to me!  But then we saw him giving his number to another girl."Barbie and River have a moment at the 11c gig.
Relationships: Barbie/River
Kudos: 2





	Dedicated To...

**Author's Note:**

> It hardly even matters in this context, but just know that I'm envisioning all the characters in their early twenties. Because the fact that they're all canonically supposed to be in high school is ridiculous to me. Also, this is pre-Urban Desire, obviously.

River was a little late to the intermission mingle, having drank too much water during warm ups and needing to run to the bathroom. But Hudson and Bryant still managed to ambush him as soon as he stepped out on the floor.

"Dude, you're killing it!" Hudson squealed, nearly jumping on him.

Bryant clapped him on the shoulder. "Good to have you home, man."

River was glad to _be_ home, if he was honest. Sure, getting to spend the last couple months touring dive bars and clubs of the east coast had been a blast. But if he was honest, he was kind of getting tired of the other guys in the band. The time on the road put them to the test, and turns out they just didn't gel like he thought. When their usual bass player had to back out because of some family emergency, River thought asking Trevor to fill in would bring some fresh blood to things.

But the tour was nearly over now, and he was with his real friends again, so he really couldn't complain.

Speaking of friends...

River made a quick scan of the place. "So where'd the girls get to?"

"Uh, Madison went to go get drinks..." said Bryant, motioning off toward the cocktail lounge.

Hudson grabbed his shoulder, leaning in closer than necessary. "I think the one you're looking for is over there." With a waggling brow, he pointed off to the corner, where River found Barbie standing by her lonesome.

He couldn't help but roll his eyes a little. He mentioned _once_ he thought Barbie was cute, and now Hudson made it his mission in life to get the two of them together.

Still, to see Barbie purposely standing alone in this kind of crowd was unusual. She was the biggest social butterfly he knew - aside from Hudson, of course.

"Be right back," he muttered, and he swore he even caught Bryant smiling a little too brightly as he made his way across the room.

Barbie had claimed one of the standing tables by the wall. Dressed in a silky blue-green top and brown mini skirt. Her hair naturally tousled and trailing down her back. She fumbled with her PDA in her hands, not really looking at anything.

"Barbie."

Her eyes snapped up, and she met him with a hug and not quite a convincing smile.

"Hey! It's awesome. You guys sound great."

This wasn't the first time they had seen each other that evening. She had managed to duck backstage during warm ups with a hug and a "welcome home" present. The dog tags clinked against her beaded necklace as they pulled apart.

"Thanks. I've been watching you girls from up there. I'm glad you're having fun." He leaned against the table. "But it doesn't look like you're having much now. Everything okay?"

Barbie blushed. Set her PDA down and twisted a lock of hair between her fingers.

"Sort of? I mean...it's silly, really."

"What's up?"

"Well...your friend, Trevor?"

"Yeah?"

He shoulders drooped, the blue in her eyes heavy and lacking its usual spark. "I've...kind of been crushing on him since we went to that concert with him last week. And when he dedicated that song to me..." She sighed, pointing off to somewhere else in the restaurant. "But we just saw him hand out his number to someone else."

"He what?" River blinked. Followed her gesture across the room. Trevor leaned against the bar, getting cozy with some redheaded girl. River's chest tightened. The guy was free to like whomever he wanted, but after publicly dedicating a song (and a pretty romantic one, at that) to someone else... Who would do that to Barbie of all people? heck, who would do that to any girl? And Trevor wasn't even in the band in the first place, just a cover. So he really had no business dedicating songs to anyone. River turned back to her, brow furrowed. "Barbie, I'm so sorry. He shouldn't have done that. That was so not cool."

Barbie straightened the neckline of her top (which was a great color on her, if he did say so). "I've just had a rough few weeks when it comes to the dating scene. Mads and Chels are constantly trying to find me a new date or cheer me up when a boy doesn't call back..." She squeezed her hand on his arm. "I'm glad you're here, though," she added, almost smiling.

River stood up a little straighter. "Oh yeah?"

"Totally. You're an awesome friend, River. Like, one of the sweetest guys I know. I love having you back home."

That tightness in River's chest disappeared, replaced with a weird sinking feeling, but he still managed to maintain his smile. "Yeah. Me, too."

Did she really only think of him as just a friend? Sure, he was happy to be her friend. Barbie was an awesome girl. Super smart. Able to stay cool as a cucumber under stress. And he knew he gave Hudson grief for it but...

"River?"

Maybe this little crush he had wasn't as surface-level as he first thought.

"River, you in there?"

And that's when he realized he was staring. Not even into space, but _right into her eyes_ like a weirdo. He cleared his throat, tried to shrug it off.

"Sorry...just thinking."

Barbie gave him a little tug of a smile.

"Hey, I probably need to get back. But think you guys could save me some pizza for after?"

"We're all over it," she said with a nod.

Taking just a couple more pats from Hudson and Bryant on the way, River slipped back to the dressing room. 

The drummer and rhythm guitarist were already back there, gearing up for the second half. River re-tuned his guitar, dragged a come through his hair (he was trying to grow it out a little), and made a note on his set list. 

Trevor slipped back in almost at the buzzer. Preening himself in the mirror, he nudged River's leg.

"Can you believe these girls out there?"

River didn't say anything, and definitely didn't try to hide the glare he shot at Trevor.

The audience was more than ready for another round by the time they stepped back on stage. Which was flattering. They started with a high energy song to get everybody back in the proper mood. Then River leaned into the mic. Found the girls in the crowd and gazed directly at Barbie.

"This next one, you might have heard before. And it's dedicated to a really special girl" - cue high-pitched whoops from the audience - "who's been having a rough time lately. I hope you find what you're looking for."

Guitar and bass led him in.

_"Desperate for changing_   
_Starving for truth_   
_I'm closer to where I started  
_ _I'm chasing after you_   
_I'm falling even more in love with you_   
_Letting go of all I've held on to_   
_I'm standing here until you make me move_   
_I'm hanging by a moment here with you"_


End file.
